Nightwalkers
by Celestial Nova
Summary: If you were affiliated with an organization whose members commits several casualties for personal reasons, what would do? Would you pretend it doesn't exist, embrace it, or expose it?
1. Another Victim

**My first time on Fanfiction but not my first story written =) I hope everyone enjoys my story so without further ado, let's get started!**

**Genres  
**

**Mystery/Suspense/Romance**

"It's the same as the last five murders." The man sighed heavily and sat down on the small wooden chair that was next to his partner. The other man grabbed the manila folder that his partner violently threw on the table. A typical murder in Midgar, but the victim was another scumbag. A man that preys on small children and dead bodies for his personal, sexual enjoyment was a scumbag. For weeks, random people have been murdered in Midgar all with a disturbing background. People don't know if they should mourn or rejoice.

"Should we just let this Gaia wannabe continue this massacre?"

The spikey-haired blonde looked up at his partner. "Someone misses these people, no matter what they may have done in the past."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Do-the-Right-Thing." The darker man said as he rolled his eyes. "If some sicko is killing worse sickos so we can all see another day then why should we do anything about it?"

The blonde swiftly stood up and the chair flew backwards as his beautiful cerulean eyes pierced through his partner. "Barret, we joined the force to stop murderers, not let them get away!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Don't get loud with me! It was just a thought!"

"What the hell is going on over here!?"

The two angry men turned towards the raven-haired man that just entered the room. "Nothing Captain Angeal" The blonde responded through gritted teeth. He turned to Barret, who was staring intently at him. "Barret and I were just discussing the case."

"Well get out here and examine this body." Angeal replied in a nasty tone. "I wanna be home in enough time for dinner."

Once Angeal was out of earshot, "We'll continue this conversation another time, Barret."

"Whatever, Cloud. Let's just do what we gotta do so we can go home."

* * *

The wind rippled through the man's long, silver hair as he approached the back door leading to the apartment complex. He opened the back door with ease and preceded towards the fifth floor and down the hall to the last door on the right. The man knocked on the door three precise times and waited for a couple of moments before a pair of crimson eyes greeted him. The red-eyed man stepped aside, allowing the green-eyed man to enter his humble, yet simple, abode.

The red-eyed man closed the door and went into the kitchen. The silver-haired man sat comfortably on the couch and sat a metal briefcase on the coffee table in front of him. The raven-haired man came back with two glasses filled with red liquid.

"It's the usual" The raven-haired man said as he handed his guest the glass.

"Not surprised." The other man replied. "You're always so simple, Valentine, which is why I respect you a lot."

The two men hit their glasses together and the raved-haired man sat on the other couch that was across from where his guest was sitting.

"From what I've seen on the news, you left no traces." The silver-haired man said after he took a couple of sips of wine. "As usual, great work, Vincent."

"That particular victim cried until the end. That was a first." Vincent replied.

The silver-haired man snorted. "I kind of wish I was there to see that. Anyways, back to the original reason as to why I'm here, your pay is inside the briefcase." The silver-haired man pointed out the briefcase on the coffee table. "Take a break for a couple of days. I'll have another one for you next Monday. I still have to investigate before I assign you the scum."

"You know how to reach me whenever you find everything."

The man nodded and continued to drink his wine. When he was finished, he sat his empty glass on the coffee table and went to the door. The raven-haired man was right behind him.

"Be prepared to travel." The silver-haired man said. "This one can't stay in one place for a long period of time."

The raven-haired man replied with a nod. "Sephiroth"

"Vincent." Sephiroth returned the nod and left.

* * *

"Tifa Lockhart! Get your behind in the kitchen and grab your lunch so we can go! You're gonna make us late!"

"I'm coming, Papa!"

The young woman ran down the stairs, shoving a piece of toast in her mouth and putting on her shoe at the same time. She grabbed her lunch from the counter in the kitchen and went into the living room and grabbed her purse. Her father came running down the stairs and into the living room.

"Do you have everything you need?"

The woman nodded and shoved the rest of her toast in her mouth. "Don't oversleep again, okay?"

"Sorry Papa. You know I'm studying really hard to get my Master's."

"Yeah, I know. C'mon, let's get going before we're both late for work."

The young woman smiled at her father and both of them left their home. Once they were inside Tifa's car, her father was fumbling through the radio stations to tune into his usual station he listens to every morning.

"Detectives in Midgar found another victim that is linked to the other murders in Midgar. The people of Midgar are at a stalemate. Should they rejoice or be afraid? Whoever this serial killer is, he or she has ridden Midgar of its notorious criminals."

"I would be scared to live in Midgar." Tifa sorrowfully said as she continued to listen to the radio host.

"I wonder what the police are doing about this." Papa interjected. "It makes you wonder who are in charge of hiring people at the police department. It doesn't matter WHY the murders are happening, but rather than WHO is committing them and busting them so people can be at ease at all times."

"I hope nothing like that happens here."

"Nibelheim is a quiet town so I doubt."

"I don't know about that, Papa. A quiet town is usually where serial killers are born."

"Thank you for creeping me out before my shift."

Tifa giggled. "Sorry."

Tifa arrived at her father's job shortly after the radio host took a break. She kissed her Papa good-bye on the cheek before he grabbed his lunch and headed inside the factory. Tifa gave her usual wave to her father and drove towards the youth center where she currently worked.


	2. New Rules & Despair

**So sorry for the late chapter. I didn't realize that time had flown so quickly.** **Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy =)**

Photographs of the newest victims were scattered on the whiteboard in front Cloud. He roughly ran his fingers through his hair. He wanted to scream and give up, but he knew he couldn't. Staying overnight in hopes of coming up with some sort of conclusion as to why this murderer do what he or she do, he was still in the same spot: square one. The pen that was once in his hand had now occupied a small corner in his office along with a small, red pad.

"Don't tell me you've been here all night"

A woman's soft, scolding voice rung in his ears. He turned around and accepted the coffee from the woman's hand. "You've caught me, Aeris."

She sighed. "I don't know what to do with you sometimes. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I'll try to figure this out."

"This case belongs to me and Barrett."

"True, however, I wanna put this to rest as well and considering Barrett has taken the day off, I'm sure one person can't solve this matter."

There was no point in fighting the sweet-sounding brunette. Cloud sighed and got up from his seat. "Have it your way then. If you find out something, call me."

"I can't guarantee that, but we'll see." She shoved out her tongue.

He couldn't help but chuckle a little. Maybe some sleep would do him some good.

* * *

"Now I know I've told all of you to take a break, but we need to establish a few new rules."

Sephiroth's viscous-like voice was as heavy as his stare at the men and woman in front of him. A red-haired man with a metal pole in his hand, a man with long raven hair, and a woman with short raven hair all stared at Sephiroth, patiently waited for his instructions.

"The deeds are done perfectly but they've attracted attention. Therefore, we must dispose the bodies."

"You mean like…dismember them?" The short-haired raven-haired woman question.

"Not necessarily, Yuffie, but we need to make the bodies disappear."

"The feds have never caught us before so why worry about it?" The redhead questioned as he threw his feet on the table.

"Weren't you listening to what I just said, Reno?" Sephiroth glared.

"Yeah, but none of us has ever been caught." Reno shot back. "So what's the big deal?"

"Sephiroth has a point." Vincent spoke up, hoping to shut the red-haired man up. Out of the small, malicious group, Reno worked on Vincent's nerves the most. Reno is a damn good killer; Vincent will give him that, but at times, the young man was too much for the Vincent's mellow character. "We'll attract too much attention, especially since all of our marks are outside of Midgar."

"Technically speaking, attention will always be drawn." Yuffie piped in. "I mean, just think about it: murders randomly happening in Midgar now suddenly moved over to other areas such as Rocket Town, Nibelheim, and Costa dol Sol. The police departments in each of those areas will automatically get suspicious. "

"Yuffie and Vincent have valid points." Sephiroth stood up from his chair and glanced out of the window that was behind him and turned towards the other occupants of the small room. "We have to make it seem like these people went missing. It's the only way we can make these murders happen without drawing attention."

"Not to mention we shouldn't kill our target as soon as we get to the area. Common sense isn't that common but there are some people that still have all their marbles."

"I wish one of those people were you, Reno."

Reno glared at Yuffie and she shoved her tongue out at the semi-ignorant man.

"Okay you two. Shut the hell up." Sephiroth scolded. "To make a long meeting short, relocate to your assigned areas, blend in well, learn you target's movements, and whatever you do, dispose the body. This shouldn't be a difficult task considering your kills are executed perfectly. An extra step won't kill you."

With Sephiroth's meeting dismissed, the trio left Sephiroth's office.

"Where are you two stationed?" Reno asked as the three were walking towards their cars.

"Nibelheim, a little quiet town. We have to be extremely careful there." Yuffie replied. "What about you?"

"Costa dol Sol. A resting place where every killer goes to. I heard they have some amazing strip clubs there."

"Reno, don't lose focus."

"Calm your tits, woman. I won't. I mean, I figured I'm gonna be there for a while hell, I might as well enjoy the scene. I may stay there permanently."

Yuffie rolled her eyes as the redhead got inside of his car, turned the ignition on, and drove off. "If we ever fall, it'll be because of him."

"Not likely." Vincent replied.

Yuffie sighed. "So, have you gotten in contact with the realtor in Nibelheim?"

"Yes. Apparently there's a huge house that's located there that has been abandoned for years but it's still in good shape. It's the only house there that's available, but we would have to buy it."

"How big we're talking?"

"Six bedrooms, two baths, two study rooms, a living room, a dining room, and a finished basement."

"Not bad." Yuffie yawned as she got in her car. "Be ready to hit the road at dawn tomorrow with your life packed. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Vincent nodded and got inside of his car as well.

* * *

"Tyler, is there something you need to tell me?"

Tifa observed the young teenager that was sitting in front of him. It had been his fifth time being in her office this week. The teenager is a smart, bright young man, but Tifa suspects that there have been family issues at home. The young man wasn't simply himself at school or at the youth center.

"There's nothing to discuss, Ms. Lockhart."

"Are you sure?" Tifa isn't the type to press an issue unless it was necessary. Seeing the young blonde suffer and not seek help tore her heart. "Your classmates said you haven't been yourself, and I can see it. Your grades are declining, you don't show your handsome smile anymore, and you don't even play basketball when you're done with your homework here."

"Look Ms. Lockhart, I said I'm fine!"

Tifa was appalled that the young man snapped at her, but she didn't fall back. "You hear that anger inside of your voice? I hear it. Loud and clear. What caused that anger to be inside of you?"

The teen hesitated and bit his lips. He glanced at the clock to see the time. He knew this meeting would be over soon. He glanced at Tifa, who had a hopeful yet, patient expression on her face. He knew he could trust Tifa.

"I can't say much, Ms. Lockhart."

"Tell me what you can say then."

Tyler took a deep breath. "Ms. Lockhart, I just buried my mother this past Saturday." Tifa's gasped and surprised expression made Tyler stop in mid-sentence. Her concerned caused a tear to fall from his right eye. He quickly swiped away the tear and continued his story after swallowing away a large lump in his throat. "She committed suicide, and I'm having a hard time coping."

"How is your father holding up? Can you talk to him the same way you're talking to me?"

"Not really. He's going through a wave of depression and sorrow. My mother was his high school sweetheart, and for her to just give up on life like that…" He struggled to keep his sniffles under control. "It's so wrong. It's just so wrong, Ms. Lockhart."

Tifa's heart dropped at the sight of Tyler's despair. She got out of her chair and rushed over to him and gave him and hug. She withdrew and wrote her name and phone number down on a piece of a paper and gave it to Tyler. "I want you to call me whenever you feel like talking. I'll help you as much as I can. I know I can't really help, but the least I can do is listen."

Tyler sniffled. "Thanks, Ms. Lockhart. Sorry for being mean to you earlier." He glances at the clock. "I have to go home now and finish my homework. See you next week, Ms. Lockhart."

"You're not coming back for the rest of the week?"

"I just wanna deal with a least amount of people as possible for a few days."

Tifa nodded and waved for Tyler to leave her office. Tyler grabbed his backpack and left her office, feeling a little better, but the void in his heart was still there. Glancing at her watch, Tifa hurriedly grabbed her purse and keys and left the building in a rush. If she was late picking up her Papa, he would give her a good scolding.


	3. The Move

**Thank you all for your support. I'm really having a blast with this story so far. Well, let's move onward!**

Setting down the mug for the umpteenth time that morning, Cloud lazily stared at the information he had in front of him. There was literally nothing. Not a trail, no reoccurring thing besides the victim's past, nothing. He was at a stalemate, he was aware of that, but it didn't stop him from bringing this person to justice. Taking another sip of coffee, Cloud sat the mug down and began to study some more.

"You need to give this case a rest and enjoy your day off for once."

Cloud glanced at Aeris, who walked to the refrigerator to pour herself a glass of orange juice. She closed the door and gave him a small kiss. "Let's take a vacation."

"Aeris, there's no time for that." His monotone voice a little harsher than usual but it wasn't intended. "I have to solve this case."

"You'll never be able to solve it if you continue to behave like this." She slightly snapped back. "I'm not saying drop it completely. All I'm saying is that we take a break from it. When we come back home, you'll have a fresh mind, and you never know, you may get some new information right off the bat."

Knowing that he wasn't going to win this battle, Cloud mentally gave in, but he wanted to work on the case for a while before he goes away. "Give me a few more weeks to work, and we can leave."

"What's 'a few more weeks'?"

"Eight."

"Absolutely not!" She replied baffled. "Four weeks."

"Six."

She sighed loudly in an apparent irritated voice. Cloud was a great debater, and there was no point in convincing the blonde to take less time away from the case. She was lucky to even get him to go on vacation with her. "Fine." She finally spoke. "I give you six weeks of more grueling, intense work on the case; you give me two weeks and two vacation spots."

"Done." His eyes never leaving the paperwork in front of him.

She shoved her tongue out at him before retreating into another room of their small, cozy apartment.

"I saw that out of my peripheral, by the way." Cloud called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Are there any other questions?" The soft-spoken realtor, who had given Yuffie and Vincent a tour of their newly purchased home, said.

"No I think that will be all." Yuffie replied happily as she ran into the home without giving the realtor a chance to speak again.

The woman smiled and looked back at Vincent, who as usual, had an expressionless face. The woman thought his eyes screamed bloody murder whenever she gazed at them. "Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent heard how alluring the woman's voice had gotten. She approached him and began to rub his chest. It had been a while since he had released such tensions, but Vincent was the type of man that doesn't seek it. Instead, it comes to him. It may seem conceited on Vincent's part, but it was the truth.

"No thank you."

The woman laughed. She went into her portfolio book and scribbled her name and number on the pad, and gave it to Vincent. "Whenever you change your mind, let me know. Be sure _she _doesn't know."

He assumed '_she_' was Yuffie, but didn't ponder too much about it. The woman winked and walked away, making sure she put extra sway into her hips as she walked away.

"Maybe she'll consider giving us a discount if you fuck her."

Vincent rolled his eyes, which caused Yuffie to laugh. "At least she's smart. Well, book smart at least."

"I don't sleep with every woman I come into contact with."

"I know you don't because we've never slept with each other."

Yuffie slaps her knee and went into a frenzy of giggles as Vincent walked by with a glare on his face. "Oh come on now, Vincent! It was right there!"

Ignoring the giggling woman behind him, Vincent began to unpack his personal belongings. This was a big house and maybe he could finally consider this as home once he gets more settle in. It really bothered him that he had to move from place to place. It has been a while since he has called a place home. As he began to go through his things, he came across a photo of him and his dad.

He took a long, hard look at the photo as he sat down on one of his boxes. He stroked his father's smiling face. He missed those days with his father. He was the first person to accept Vincent for who he was. Vincent let out a sigh, placed the photo back inside the box, and continued to unpack.

* * *

Papa was in the kitchen tapping his finger vigorously on the fridge door. Tifa hadn't finished studying yet so he decided to fix something for dinner that night. Only one problem: he doesn't know how to cook. His late wife never read from a cookbook. She was the type of woman to experiment with food, and naturally, Tifa got her skills from her mother. Papa considered buying a cookbook a few weeks back in case situations like now arises. Guess he should've listened to his past self.

"Papa, you're letting out the cool air from the fridge."

"Please tell me you're done studying."

Tifa giggled at Papa's tone. It sounded desperate and needy. "You act as if you've never eaten before!" After her giggles subsided, she continued. "Yes, I'm done studying, but I don't feel like cooking. How about we make a small trip to Rocket Town and try that Italian restaurant you've been talking about for the past month?"

Pap ran upstairs and moments later, Tifa heard water from the bathroom sink running.

"I'll take that as a yes"

* * *

After all the furniture was placed and all the unpacking was done, Vincent and Yuffie took their naps and woke up hungry. Yuffie was in her private bathroom putting the finishing touches on her outfit, which consisted of a large, black chocker with an all red, strapless dress and matching black pumps to go along with it. The decision to go out and eat was unanimous. Besides, they're worn out from all the activities that were done earlier that day.

"Are you ready?"

Yuffie turned her head and immediately smelled Vincent's strong, yet intoxicating scent. His hair was tied back, much to Yuffie's surprise, and he had on a red button-up shirt with a black tie and matching dress slacks. Yuffie whistles.

"Baby can I have your phone number?" He laughed a little, which made her laughed and smile even more. "It's good to see you laugh, even if it's a little."

She checked her image one good time before turning off the light and exiting her bathroom. "You're wearing contacts?" She just noticed his eyes were now hazel.

"Part of a disguise, so to speak." Vincent replied as the two of began walking down the hallway and down the main entrance's stairs to exit the home. "If anyone saw my eyes in its normal state, it would raise suspicion."

"I see your point. Midgar was different because of the population, but a small town like Nibelheim would probably feel uneasy. I'm sure the whole town is aware we're their new neighbors considering how small this town is"

Vincent agreed with a small nod and opened the door and allowed Yuffie to go through it first. They decided to take Vincent's car. Once the two were strapped in their seatbelts comfortably, Vincent carefully pulled out of the driveway and headed to Rocket Town.

* * *

Just because the term 'town' is used to describe Rocket Town, that doesn't mean it's actually a town. It's the closest thing to a city Nibelheim folks have. Junon and Gold Saucer is more of a city but those places are more of a vacation spot, along with Costa dol Sol. _Italio_ shined in a bright red lettering as customers were coming and going inside the restaurant. Tifa and Papa entered with smiles on their faces. It's a good thing that Papa ranted about this place. Tifa was already starting to warm up to it.

A brunette waitress greeted them with a warm smile, grabbed two menus, and walked them over to a booth that was against the window. The waitress excused herself to allow Papa and Tifa some time to order.

"This is a really nice place." Papa awed as he observed the restaurant.

"I'm glad you talked my ear off about it." Tifa agreed. "Let's see if the food here is good."

After scanning the menu for ten minutes, Papa and Tifa finally placed their orders and the waitress left.

"It's good to finally leave Nibelheim, ya know?" Tifa said after she took a swig of her water.

"Yeah. We should do this more often. How are your classes coming along?"

"Good. I have to turn in my research paper tomorrow about the Wutai War. It was very simple to be honest because of all that has happened during that war."

Papa nodded his head. He was surprised by the next couple that walked inside the restaurant. "You don't see too many Wutainese people outside of Wutai."

Tifa strained her neck and attention in the direction Papa was looking. A Wutainese couple just walked in and the woman received several looks from the men that were around. The man was tall and thin but had a muscular built with his hair pulled back.

"I thought Wutainese men were possessive of their women." Tifa observed how the man seemed unfazed by the perverted stares the woman that was with him was receiving. "I guess that's a horrible stereotype. That or he isn't intimidated by other men."

The food arrived before she could pry into the situation any further.

* * *

Yuffie and Vincent sat at a table that was across a young woman and an older man, who appears to be her father. Vincent noticed the young woman looking at him and Yuffie strangely. The waitress gave the deadly duo their menus and walked away to give them time to think about what they wanted to order. Immediately, they went into killer mode and observed their surroundings. There were beautiful women dressed elegantly along with men who dressed the same as well. There were some men in the winery area and there was a lot of traffic near the ladies' restroom. To say that Yuffie received stares from a lot of men in that restaurant was an understatement; more like she received a lot of stares from drooling men who appeared they haven't been laid in months.

Their waitress came back five minutes later and the two placed their orders. "I'm going to canvass the ladies' room." Yuffie said once the waitress was out of earshot.

Vincent simply nodded and Yuffie got up and walked away. He gently placed the contact lens in his left eye back in place. He couldn't wait to get the irritants out of his eyes when he gets home. As Vincent sipped his water, he noticed the young brunette across from his table would glance at him every now and then. She was an attractive woman. Her shoulder length brunette hair adorned her quite nicely. Whenever the man across her would say something funny, her smile was white and bright. Vincent turned away from the beautiful woman and glanced at the entrance. A smirk began to creep onto his face. His target was walking through with a blonde-haired woman. They were greeted by a waitress and the woman guided them to the winery area. Yuffie returned as the target and his woman were being seated.

"Look at the winery."

Yuffie looked up and smiled. "Well, well, well. Looks like Genesis Rhapsodos is in the building along with Elena Ramado."

"Elena Ramado?" Vincent questioned.

"A woman who's associated with Genesis. I believe she's one of Genesis's many women but she's a main, I think."

Vincent nodded not taking his eyes away from the couple as they began conversing with one another. Vincent glanced at Yuffie, who nodded in response to his expression. Vincent got up and walked towards the winery while Yuffie hung back. She flipped her hair and smiled at the right moment; Genesis looked her way and he loved what he saw. He greeted her with a bright smile, showing all of his pearly, white teeth. Vincent walked past the couple and Elena stole a glance at Vincent. Vincent knew he was being watched and that was reassurance that things were in his favor. He ordered a bottle of red wine and gave the bartender the gil before she disappeared into the back to grab his wine. Vincent turned his back against the stand and pretended to observe the locals, but he was really observing Genesis and Elena. The bartender came back with Vincent's wine moments later. He thanked her and proceeded back to his table with Yuffie. The waitress just delivered the food as he sat down.

"Did you order that?" Vincent asked as he pointed to the alcoholic beverage that Yuffie was slowly consuming.

"Our red-haired murderer bought it."

Vincent nodded and proceeded to eat his food. Yuffie winked at Genesis before digging into her food. Genesis smile as he looked away. Unbeknownst to him, Yuffie is a deadly woman.

* * *

"I can't believe what I'm seeing." Tifa whispered softly to herself.

"Hm?"

She turned to her Papa, who had a concerned look on his face.

"It's nothing, Papa." Tifa waved her hand. "I'm kind of full. Let's get some carriers and go home."

Papa nodded and Tifa mentally thanked Gaia that he didn't press the matter. They grabbed their to-go containers, paid for the food, and left the restaurant. Tifa wanted to believe her eyes were deceiving her, but she knew they weren't.

**Sorry for the long chapter, but I kind of feel bad for leaving your lovely readers hanging for two and a half weeks. So, I hope you didn't mind the length.**


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